The non-governmental organization Tearfund launched this week the report Better together: evidence of the crucial role that citizens play in fighting corruption, during the conference of state parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Marrakesh, Morocco. The report argues that anti-corruption efforts by governments could be more effective if they would focus on the involvement of citizens at the local level.
The document highlights that UNCAC has much potential to significantly reduce corruption, but its implementation still needs improvement. As evidence for UNCAC’s limited efficacy, the study mentions the fact that the majority of the 25 countries perceived to be the most corrupt in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, have been parties to UNCAC since five years or more.
Examples of civil society anti-corruption initiatives are also discussed in the report to show that involvement at the local level is crucial to curbing corruption effectively, as citizens are in a better position to monitor officials in their communities than central governments are.
Read the full article Fight against corruption needs grassroots support to have bite – report on trust.org. The picture shown above is also featured in the article and is credited to Reuters.
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